State Jobs Picture

The unemployment rate and the change in the number of jobs are important indicators of state labor market health. The unemployment rate is the share of the state’s labor force that is not currently employed and is actively looking for work. Healthy job growth is growth that provides regular employment for all individuals wanting a job.

The map below shows the current unemployment rate in each state, and the percent change in the number of jobs in each state over the preceding 12 months. Clicking on a state will also show the change in that state’s unemployment rate or change in the number of jobs over the last 3 months, 12 months, and since December 2007—the peak of the previous business cycle.

December

Current state unemployment rate and percent change in total number of jobs over last 12 months

State

Current unemployment rate

Change in unemployment rate in last 3 months

Change in unemployment rate in last 12 months

Change in unemployment rate since Dec. 2007

State unemployment rate ranking from lowest to highest

Percent change in number of jobs in last 12 months

Change in number of jobs in last 12 months

Percent change in number of jobs in last 3 months

Change in number of jobs in last 3 months

Percent change in number of jobs since Dec. 2007

Change in number of jobs since Dec. 2007

Alabama

3.9%

-0.2%

0.1%

-0.4%

29

2.2%

43,600

0.9%

17,600

1.6%

32,600

Alaska

6.3%

-0.2%

-0.9%

-0.1%

51

-0.1%

-400

-0.3%

-1100

2.2%

7,100

Arizona

4.8%

0.2%

0.1%

0.5%

47

3.4%

94,100

0.5%

13,900

7.8%

209,700

Arkansas

3.6%

0.1%

-0.1%

-1.5%

21

1.4%

17,100

0.2%

2,600

4.0%

48,700

California

4.2%

0.1%

-0.3%

-1.7%

38

1.7%

284,300

0.5%

87,000

11.7%

1,807,300

Colorado

3.5%

0.4%

0.5%

-0.6%

20

2.8%

75,400

0.7%

19,900

17.5%

412,000

Connecticut

4.0%

-0.2%

-0.5%

-0.9%

33

1.2%

19,900

0.3%

5,100

0.0%

200

Delaware

3.7%

-0.3%

-0.8%

0.0%

26

2.2%

10,200

0.6%

2,700

5.6%

24,800

Washington D.C.

5.5%

-0.2%

-0.4%

-0.1%

50

0.3%

2300

0.1%

800

13.7%

96,200

Florida

3.3%

-0.2%

-0.6%

-1.4%

15

2.7%

231,200

0.7%

61,700

12.1%

959,500

Georgia

3.6%

-0.1%

-0.9%

-1.4%

22

2.5%

113,800

0.6%

27,600

10.3%

430,700

Hawaii

2.5%

0.3%

0.4%

-0.6%

2

1.4%

9,500

0.3%

2,100

6.2%

38,800

Idaho

2.6%

-0.1%

-0.4%

-0.5%

4

2.0%

14,500

0.6%

4100

13.2%

86,400

Illinois

4.3%

0.2%

-0.6%

-1.1%

40

1.2%

71,000

0.5%

28,400

2.8%

167,000

Indiana

3.6%

0.1%

0.2%

-1.1%

23

1.4%

44,500

0.7%

23,400

5.5%

166,100

Iowa

2.4%

-0.1%

-0.5%

-1.3%

1

1.0%

15,500

0.4%

6700

4.8%

72,900

Kansas

3.3%

0.0%

-0.2%

-1.0%

16

1.4%

20,100

0.4%

6,400

3.2%

44,600

Kentucky

4.4%

-0.1%

-0.1%

-1.0%

42

1.1%

21,300

0.6%

11,100

4.7%

87,300

Louisiana

4.9%

-0.1%

0.2%

0.7%

48

1.1%

21,900

0.1%

2,500

2.9%

56,900

Maine

3.4%

0.1%

0.3%

-1.4%

19

0.7%

4,300

-0.2%

-1000

1.2%

7,400

Maryland

3.9%

-0.3%

-0.2%

0.6%

30

1.9%

50,900

0.6%

16,100

5.8%

151,200

Massachusetts

3.3%

-0.3%

-0.2%

-1.3%

17

1.8%

65,800

0.4%

15,300

11.3%

375,600

Michigan

4.0%

0.0%

-0.7%

-3.2%

34

1.3%

55,000

0.3%

11,800

4.8%

203,400

Minnesota

2.8%

0.0%

-0.5%

-1.9%

7

1.1%

32,200

0.0%

1,200

7.4%

206,300

Mississippi

4.7%

-0.1%

-0.1%

-1.1%

45

0.9%

11,000

0.4%

4,900

1.1%

12,600

Missouri

3.1%

-0.1%

-0.6%

-2.3%

12

1.4%

39,000

0.2%

6,400

4.2%

117,300

Montana

3.7%

0.1%

-0.4%

-0.5%

27

1.0%

4,700

0.4%

1,800

7.8%

35,000

Nebraska

2.8%

0.0%

-0.1%

-0.2%

8

1.2%

12,700

0.0%

500

6.8%

66,200

Nevada

4.4%

-0.1%

-0.5%

-0.6%

43

3.9%

52,400

1.4%

19,400

9.3%

119,600

New Hampshire

2.5%

-0.2%

-0.1%

-1.0%

3

2.7%

18,100

0.7%

5,100

7.1%

46,300

New Jersey

4.0%

-0.2%

-0.7%

-0.5%

35

1.5%

61,900

0.3%

12,800

3.0%

124,400

New Mexico

4.7%

0.1%

-1.3%

0.8%

46

2.4%

19,900

0.4%

3,100

0.8%

6,500

New York

3.9%

-0.2%

-0.8%

-0.9%

31

1.3%

121,900

0.5%

48,100

10.6%

925,600

North Carolina

3.6%

-0.2%

-0.9%

-1.3%

24

2.0%

87,200

0.6%

25,400

8.9%

371,700

North Dakota

2.7%

0.0%

0.1%

-0.3%

5

2.1%

9,000

0.0%

200

20.2%

73,200

Ohio

4.6%

0.0%

-0.3%

-1.0%

44

2.1%

116,500

0.3%

14,500

4.3%

232,700

Oklahoma

3.2%

-0.3%

-0.9%

-0.4%

13

1.5%

25,500

0.2%

3,700

6.0%

96,900

Oregon

4.1%

0.3%

0.0%

-1.2%

36

1.9%

35,100

0.3%

4,900

11.2%

194,000

Pennsylvania

4.2%

0.1%

-0.6%

-0.5%

39

1.2%

74,800

0.4%

23,500

4.4%

256,800

Rhode Island

3.9%

0.0%

-0.6%

-2.1%

32

1.4%

7,100

0.5%

2400

3.5%

17,200

South Carolina

3.3%

0.0%

-0.9%

-2.3%

18

2.0%

41,200

1.7%

36,100

10.4%

202,200

South Dakota

2.9%

-0.1%

-0.5%

0.2%

10

2.0%

8,800

1.1%

4,700

9.5%

38,800

Tennessee

3.6%

0.0%

0.3%

-1.8%

25

2.0%

59,100

0.3%

7,700

10.0%

281,800

Texas

3.7%

-0.1%

-0.3%

-0.6%

28

3.2%

391,800

0.7%

90,700

20.7%

2,182,000

Utah

3.2%

0.0%

0.0%

0.3%

14

3.1%

46,400

0.8%

11,900

21.5%

271,500

Vermont

2.7%

-0.2%

-0.2%

-1.5%

6

-0.1%

-200

0.2%

600

1.6%

4,800

Virginia

2.8%

-0.1%

-0.8%

-0.5%

9

1.9%

77,000

0.2%

6,100

6.7%

254,100

Washington

4.3%

-0.1%

-0.4%

-0.4%

41

3.1%

104,000

0.8%

26,400

15.9%

477,600

West Virginia

5.1%

-0.1%

-0.3%

0.5%

49

0.6%

4,700

0.2%

1,300

-0.9%

-6,900

Wisconsin

3.0%

0.0%

-0.2%

-1.7%

11

1.6%

48,300

0.7%

19,400

4.3%

123,900

Wyoming

4.1%

0.0%

0.0%

1.3%

37

2.8%

8,000

1.0%

2,800

-1.2%

-3,600

Jobs refers to the total number of jobs, part-time or full-time, in nonfarm establishments.

Source: EPI analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' Local Area Unemployment Statistics data

When workers lose a job or cannot find work, they and their families lose wages and benefits, and the adverse effects may last a very long time as career trajectories are interrupted. When more workers are unemployed, it also depresses wage growth for those workers who have a job, since employers have little need to raise pay to attract or retain staff. Although the country remains on a positive trend of job growth and falling unemployment, many states still have rates of job growth that are leaving many unable to find work and paychecks failing behind. To ensure workers in every community have access to jobs and rising pay, policymakers should prioritize a full employment agenda.

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EPI is an independent, nonprofit think tank that researches the impact of economic trends and policies on working people in the United States. EPI’s research helps policymakers, opinion leaders, advocates, journalists, and the public understand the bread-and-butter issues affecting ordinary Americans.